Intensive English Institute

Course Descriptions

			Here are some examples of courses that have been offered at the different levels of the IEI program. Level 500-600 Courses (Advanced) | Level 400 Courses (High Intermediate)| Level 300 Courses (Intermediate)| Level 200 Courses (Low Intermediate) | Level 100 Courses (Basic)
	IEI students in class

 

Level 500-600 Courses

REQUIRED COURSES:

 

Level 600 Academic Reading and Writing (ARW)

In this course, students increase their awareness of reading and analyzing academic texts to write source-based papers. Students learn how to look for connections between ideas in readings and expand on them in writing. Going beyond simple patterns of organization, students learn to combine patterns for more complex writing. Students become better at research skills and the skills needed to properly document sources in their writing. On successful completion of the course, students should be able to do individual research to produce a longer paper that is based on many sources s/he has read.

Level 600 Academic Listening and Speaking (ALS)

In this course, students learn advanced academic listening and speaking skills. Students give research-based individual and group presentations, and they develop skills for explaining ideas effectively with correct and appropriate grammar and vocabulary effective in presentations and in class discussion. By listening to real lectures, either recorded or live, students develop advanced listening strategies and note-taking skills. On successful completion of the course, students will have completed a well-developed presentation based on a research paper they have written for their Academic Reading-Writing class.

Level 500 Academic Reading and Writing (ARW)

This course is designed to introduce many of the aspects of academic reading and writing needed in university courses. Students explore topics through reading and discussion before writing paragraphs and essays on those topics. Among the organizational writing patterns students will learn are summary, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and argument. Students practice paraphrasing and other documentation skills needed to use sources in their writing. By the end of the course, students who have worked hard should be able to write a short, well-organized paper with documentation from articles they have read.

Level 500 Academic Listening and Speaking (ALS)

This course is an introduction to the academic listening and speaking skills needed to succeed in an American university environment. Students develop basic presentation skills by giving both group and individual presentations and aim for clear, understandable spoken expression in English. Students also practice speaking clearly and coherently in assignments where they expressing and expanding opinions in various kinds of discussions. Students listen to short lectures on academic topics and work to develop listening and note-taking strategies which they will need when attending university lectures. On successful completion of the course, students are able to do a simple presentation based on two to three sources and can show their understanding of the main ideas and important details in a short lecture.

Combined Level 600 and 500 Everyday Reading and Writing (ERW)

This course covers two main areas: the practical and the personal. The practical focus is on reading and writing letters and e-mail dealing with requests and responses, applications, invitations, and complaints. The personal focus is on reading from books (novels, autobiographies) and magazine articles on human interest topics, with vocabulary, discussion and short personal writing assignments on the same topics as the readings. In the level 600 course, students read at least one complete novel and are additionally expected to analyze and explain readings in detail to show understanding of not only main ideas and important details but also of tone, formality, nuance and implication.

 

Combined Level 600 and 500 Everyday Listening and Speaking (ELS)

This course focuses on listening and informal speaking skills. Students learn strategies to improve their listening ability.  Students develop fluency in informal conversation by working on skills such as expressing an opinion, agreeing and disagreeing appropriately, story telling, and keeping a conversation going. Students listen to segments from TV, radio and movies and engage in discussion, group projects and informal presentations. In the level 600 course, students are additionally expected to listen to and analyze complex segments and are expected to complete speaking assignments in which several complex and interconnected ideas are expressed with attention to both clarity and appropriate style.

 

Elective courses

 

Business Communication

In this course, students work in teams to examine various business situations, based on readings from the news and Internet. Students make oral presentations (proposals, press briefings, and negotiation) or create written documents (memoranda, and short reports). Emphasis is on communicating in an appropriate style for business. Please note: IEI Business Communication classes are English classes with a business focus; we do not teach business theory. Returning students: You should not repeat this course.

Advanced Oral Communication

This course focuses on developing students' skills in understanding and using conversational English in many daily life situations. Students practice language for real-world tasks such as telephoning, making apologies, and making requests. Special attention is given to language use variations according to level of formality, situation, and participants. In class, students do a variety of pair, small group and whole class activities to improve spoken fluency and accuracy. They participate in planned and unplanned conversations in class, and perform real-world tasks outside of class. Assignments include role-plays of daily life situations and group projects.

 

Current Events

The current events class gives students an opportunity to improve their listening ability, increase their vocabulary, and intelligently discuss the events that are in the news. Since most news sources focus on U.S. news or present the news with an American perspective, students will get a better understanding of certain aspects of American history and culture. At the same time they will encouraged to look at the same issues from different perspectives from around the world. Because of the nature of the news, many of the issues under discussion are generally political in nature. In-class activities will include the use of current news videos, radio news, newspaper and magazine articles, group discussions, and group presentations.

 

Advanced English Grammar

This class is for important for students who want to improve their ability to analyze English grammar and use it meaningfully and accurately. There is much more to English grammar than completing grammar exercises! In this course, students analyze real-life written and spoken English in order to understand the meaning of English grammar more deeply. Short writing assignments are an important part of the class, so that students can demonstrate that they can understand and also apply meaning distinctions through grammar.

 

Advanced Pronunciation

Students learn rules for better English pronunciation and get plenty of opportunities to practice. The course covers English melody, rhythm, word stress and phrase stress. In addition, students identify the vowel and consonant sounds that cause them the most difficulty in being understood, and students practice and improve production of these sounds under the guidance of the instructor.

 

Integrating Language Skills and the TOEFL iBT

In this course, students put together language skills in order to practice the Internet-based TOEFL test, which combines listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. For example, students read a passage, listen to a related spoken passage and then practice answering questions in writing or in speaking. Test-taking strategies will also be discussed in the course, and students will have opportunity to take and receive feedback on iBT practice tests. In addition to preparing students for the TOEFL, this course is good additional practice for students who want to improve their English for academic purposes.

Back to the top

 

Level 400 Courses

Required Courses:

 

Listening and Speaking

In this course, students listen to materials from a variety of sources and contexts and develop skills to help them understand the meaning and purpose of the speaker as well as how the speaker uses specific language to help them communicate ideas clearly. Students will also use information from the listenings and their own experiences to think critically about topics and to participate in a variety of speaking tasks such as presentations, discussions, and group projects. There is a focus on speaking with accuracy and clarity.

 

Reading and Writing

In this course, students focus on understanding the connections of ideas in reading and on clearly expressing connections of ideas in writing. There is a variety of types of reading from different contexts and in different styles, both from a course textbook and from outside sources. Students read not only to understand meanings but also to understand the organization of the texts. Weekly writing assignments focus on expressing ideas in an organized way so that relationships between sentences and paragraphs are clear. There is also regular work with expanding vocabulary and understanding the relationship between vocabulary and context.

 

Grammar

The aims of this course are for students to be able to use grammar to build more complex sentences to express themselves and for students to refine understanding of grammar systems in order to improve precision and accuracy in writing and speaking. Regular exercises come from the course textbook, and students practice grammar skills related to the work of the Reading / Writing and Listening / Speaking courses.

 

Elective courses

 

College Writing

This course focuses on developing basic paragraph writing skills with the aim of building an academic essay. Students learn the basics of such writing processes as generating and organizing ideas, the actual writing of paragraphs, and editing/re-writing their work. Both general English language skills as well as specific writing skills will be covered in this class. In particular, students will focus on developing academic vocabulary and applying it in writing.

 

Everyday Conversation

Students to practice speaking and listening through conversation and through focused exercises. In class work includes listening exercises, pair practice, small group discussions, dialogs, and role-plays. Out-of-class assignments include: using Internet pronunciation resources, making voice recordings with digital audio software, and some reading and writing.

 

Introduction to the TOEFL iBT

This course combines listening, speaking, reading and writing exercises and assignments that will help learners to begin to prepare for the TOEFL iBT. Basic communication and vocabulary building skills will be developed through in-class exercises, homework exercises, quizzes, and pair and small group activities. S tudents will learn about the iBT test format, test sections, and the different types of test tasks. This course is a first step in identifying the skills needed for the iBT; however, it usually takes more than one semester for intermediate-level students to attain an English proficiency needed for success in an academic setting or in the TOEFL iBT.

Back to the top

Level 300 courses (all courses are required)

 

Listening and Speaking

This course focuses on developing students' skills and strategies in understanding and using English in many daily life and some academic situations. Students practice appropriate language to perform fairly complex real-world tasks such as obtaining information over the phone, finding an apartment, and making travel plans, as well as academic tasks such as making a formal presentation. Particular attention is given to developing language problem-solving skills and strategies such as communicating a housing or travel problem, and planning a healthy diet.

 

Grammar

The general focus of this class is on clarifying and broadening the students' understanding of the major grammatical systems of English by comparing what is in their textbook, what they find in other sources, and what they already know. Class time is spent discovering and/or reviewing grammatical points, examining written and oral texts of English – from the textbook, newspapers, magazines, the internet, radio/television, etc. – to understand what choices are available in building English sentences, and the effect different choices may have on meaning in different contexts. The writing of class members is also examined. 

 

Reading

This class works to develop basic reading skills for overall comprehension. Students focus on vocabulary, the structure of the texts they are reading, relationships between ideas, and different purposes for reading. Students practice vocabulary and answer basic and more complex comprehension questions in writing assignments. Students are also given opportunities to discuss what they have read in class.  

 

Writing

This course focuses on developing basic paragraph writing skills through discussion of and writing about everyday experiences. The students learn the basics of such writing processes as generating and organizing ideas, the actual writing of paragraphs, and editing/re-writing their work. Both general English language skills as well as specific writing skills will be covered in this class.

 

Pronunciation

This course provides more opportunities for students to practice speaking and listening by focusing on sounds, syllables, words, phrases, intonation, rhythm, stress, and "natural" speech.

Back to the top

Level 200 Courses (all courses are required)

 

Listening and Speaking

This course focuses on developing students' skills and strategies in understanding and using conversational English in many daily life situations. Listening and oral production tasks facilitate students' understanding and language performance of real-world tasks of moderate level of complexity. Such tasks include placing a simple order at a restaurant, making a doctor's appointment, and interacting with salespeople. At this level, students also review basic listening strategies such as listening for the gist/details.

 

Grammar

The general focus of this class is on providing an overview of the basic systems of noun and verb phrases. Class time is spent examining written and oral texts of English -- from the textbook, and selections from newspapers, magazines, the internet, radio, television, etc. -- to understand these grammatical systems. The writing of class members is also examined.  

 

Reading

In this class, students work on developing vocabulary families (travel, geography, health, business, etc.) and read different types of texts. Students practice vocabulary and answer basic comprehension questions by writing about the reading texts. Students are given opportunities to discuss what they have read in class.

 

Writing

Student practice writing about topics from the reading course. Students work to organize ideas into clear paragraphs with correct punctuation. Students learn to develop and support a topic sentence with evidence, examples, and/or details.

 

Pronunciation

Students learn how to improve their understanding and production of consonant and vowel sounds, as well as rhythm, stress, and intonation. The teacher presents and explains many sound-, word-, and phrase-level topics. In addition, the teacher focuses on helping students work on pronunciation in relationship to the tasks in the listening / speaking course.

Back to the top

Level 100 Courses

 

Listening and Speaking

In this course, students develop skills in understanding and using conversational English in basic, daily life situations. Intensive in-class listening and oral practice facilitate students' language performance of basic real-world tasks, such as asking for directions on campus, making basic polite requests, and asking for assistance. Students learn about and practice listening strategies such as listening for the gist/details, signaling comprehension or lack of it both verbally and non-verbally

 

Grammar

This class gives students and introduction to basic English noun and verb phrases by comparing what is in the textbook, what the class finds in other sources, and what they may already know. Class time is spent examining written and oral texts of English – primarily from the textbook, but occasionally from other sources, especially from spoken English. The writing of class members is also examined.   

 

Reading

In this class, students learn vocabulary families (educational vocabulary, weather, clothing, diet, family, etc.,) while reading simple texts. Students do several readings on a topic in order to increase their learning of basic vocabulary and sentence structures. Students respond to readings both in writing and in class discussions.

 

Pronunciation

Students practice hearing and saying the basic sounds, rhythm and intonation of English. Work includes regular exercises from a course book, recording student speech and listening practice from a variety of sources. Back to the top